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Oh man that would be awesome. All the people I used to play D&D with live all over now. We talk every week on skype and play games but being able to run a game over the internet would be a dream come true.

The completely depends on your GM. Most will require that you at least have the wherewithal to read the core rulebook and understand the rules enough to create a character.

However, you can learn much about most systems simply by playing and asking questions in groups that are open to new players. Usually the GM has at least one or two experienced players in the group and shares the tutorial load with them or just plain asks them to handle noob questions.

The most important thing GMs look for is commitment. If you are willing to show up to every session ready to be engaged and do your best to learn the game, they will want you there. If you are going to wander off, skip sessions because you got drunk yesterday, and read your phone during important conversations, then they won't want you there. It's a social event and everyone has to work together to ensure the best experience.

As far as actually joining, all you have to do is find a game looking for new players and submit an application. You can learn Roll20 itself just by launching it and playing around, its not that complex on the player side anyhow.

Its can vary wildly with group and system, of which D&D is one of hundreds. There's literally one-page systems that you can pick up and understand in a few minutes to systems that take at least a couple full sessions to have much of an understanding of whats going on mechanics wise.

There are systems that are almost entirely story-based, where the lines bleed between 'rpg' and 'collaborative storytelling' while there's also systems that try emulate real world physics. There are systems based around a very specific setting with lots and lots of fluff in their rulebooks while there are others that are completely barren of description, giving you nothing but mechanical bones to build your world on. Some games are fast and light with combat, while others become strategy games that take quite awhile to resolve. Some games are so deadly or 'realistic' that players try to avoid combat, while others have you smashing through dozens of enemies with a single swing. Some can be played almost exactly like a video game, while others will get you instantly killed if you try to play it like that. Every genre is covered in some way by some system, and many systems blend genres quite well.

A lot of people will suggest against D&D depending on the forums you visit, while many more still consider it their bread and butter. There's also sometimes a bit of a rift between versions, as every iteration has pretty big differences. I'd suggest finding the right kind of group first over the right kind of system, unless you start reading about a system that you find REALLY interesting.

If you're looking for real world games, the easiest place I've found is meetup.com. Search 'rpg' or 'tabletop' in your region and you'll likely find at least one group. Online games can sort of be easier to come by, but scheduling can be weird if you've never dealt with time zones when half your group isn't even on the same continent. Lots of people would rather not play than play online as online and in person is definitely a different experience, but I wouldn't say its necessarily 'bad'.

There is a LOT of people out there that are totally fine with playing with brand new players. In fact, I've found a lot of people prefer new players because their getting someone that doesn't have established habits yet. New players tend to ask questions that 20 year veterans might not even think about too.

/r/rpg and related subreddits in its sidebar can be very helpful. They've been around for long enough that searching them can give you dozens or more threads pertaining to your request, but you also won't get much backlash for re-asking things. Most people are very helpful and patient with people not understanding some things.

TL;DR There are hundreds of systems out there. Finding a group online can be fairly easy with some patience, and lots of people LIKE brand new players. There is a vast range of ways people play, and it might be easier to find the right group before you find the right system.